Any competition should be friendly first of all, even though depending on how local haunts are designed or operated can impact business between haunts.

I also know some haunt owners can be a real peach and cause nothing but trouble, but it's important to stand tall on your own ground and be the better business men or woman by not sinking to their level.

Would also be a nice gesture to ask permission to do such a thing, but if that's something they did on their own then I would say that there might not be anything you can do about it.

It really makes things hard when you know every haunter strives for business and to be different or the best, we are all pationate and work hard on our haunts year in and year out, but if there is bad blood between one business to another it just hurts the industry. It never does any good to retaliate and that's why I said;

"BE THE BETTER PERSON EGNOR IT AND MOVE ON" There are more important things to worry about then a sign and again I am sorry I know that there is a lot of pride that goes into each haunt but keep to your self. Focus on your business and nothing else it's that simple.

Oh and one more thing, it's no different then a Target opening across the street from a Walmart.

I would do that, I would also make sure I had any location close to me tied up by buying boards from that company with the amendment that they won't rent a board to a another haunt within 5-10 miles. I have placed Chevy graphics right over Ford Field in Detroit. I would place them on the way to the busiest haunts around so when people get to their haunt and the que line is four hours long they may come my way.

As an owner or actor you're going to really notice something like that. It's only natural. However, the average customer (not the die hard groupies), probably don't care much regarding which haunt is which haunt as long as they have fun at the one they go to. If you have ample lighting and action going on, they might just assume the billboard IS for your haunt. If it really is that close, it will probably double the attention to your haunt. I'd say "Awesome - free billboard attention to my haunt! Thanks competition!"

A new haunt about an hour away just threw up a billboard about 1/2 mi. from the main thoroughfare to our haunt!

I think it's far enough away to not matter AND it brings attention to the possibility of simply going to a haunt. Honestly, I know all haunts are competing but I also think the industry is small enough that cooperative advertising would benefit the entirety of the industry. Raising awareness and throwing out the idea that haunted houses are a possibility for a weekend activity is very important!

I would be pissed if a rival put up a billboard directly adjacent to my haunt, particularly if it had a map and or arrow pointing away from my haunt, that is bad sportsmanship.

If a brand has enough capital then advertising next to it probably won't matter as much, but if a haunt doesn't have much brand capital and recognition then you are just being spiteful.

I only owned a major haunt for one year in 2003 so I'm not speaking from a lot of first hand experience.
But I have been working with and talking to haunt owners/operators every day for the past 10 years.

From what I have observed, cross promoting is golden. Yes, haunts should be highly competitive and put on the best show they possibly can to out do the other guy. But when it comes to marketing I have always seen it to be a win / win situation when haunts cross promote. The demographic that attend a haunt are likely to want to attend multiple. If they are at the ticket booth for one and are given a discount ticket to another they will more than likely go see it. This creates and builds a "haunt community" in the area where it becomes the thing to do each year.

I have observed cities where the haunts feel so strongly that the competition are enemies they don't ever mention that their are other haunts or they promote that the others are total crap and not worth going to. In these cities "haunting" is not a "happening" and attendance sufferers.

So I say, yes... put billboards across from each other. Cross promote. Make your city a Haunt City!

I have a haunt two miles away from me. I tell them to put their sign where people leaving my place will see it. They do...but then when they put a sign in front of mine blocking it...that was another story. I do way more business than they do. But I would like our two haunts sclose to major interstate exit to feed off each other. Even try to do ads together...but no such thing this year.

If your competition is really good, that increases the haunt audience by making customers want to relive the thrill again at the next haunt. If the haunt sucks, it burns a lot of territory and makes it less likely they will go to ANY haunts. We support the other haunts and try very hard to get along with everyone. After all, they love the same thing we do. Why alienate like minded people? It's very short term thinking to do so.